Nuclear Power Might Not Benefit Dominion

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28266, 2 May 1957, Page 10

Nuclear Power Might Not Benefit Dominion

“It does not appear that nuclear power would have any advantages over hydro-electric power in New Zealand in the near future,” said Professor N. M. MacElwee, professor of electrical engineering at Canterbury University College, on his return with his wife yesterday after a year’s refresher leave. He visited Britain, Denmark, Scandinavia, Finland, and Russia.

“The Calder Hall nuclear power station in England—the only such high-powered unit in the world — is operating extremely successfully and has had few teething troubles. It is now known that its output can be doubled without seriously increasing the cost and this will bring it into competition with coal-fire steam-driven staions,” Professor MacElwee said. “Britain, therefore, plans to build 12 more such stations within the next 15 years. They are absolutely necessary to meet the rising tempo of manufacturing, which could not possibly be met,

separate institutes for railways, power production, mechanical, communications and other branches of engineering.” Courses were of five years. “The Minister of Higher Education answered all our questions, even political ones, with candour and seemed free to teach what he thinks best,” Professor MacElwee said. Events before 1953 were rated as “the past.” Inquiries about scientists, earlier pilloried, were answered by the invitation: “Would you like to speak to them?” The Minister spoke strongly of Russia’s willingness to share in the world-wide community of science. Leningrad Institute

Describing the Kalinin Engineering Institute in Leningrad, Professor MacElwee said it specialised in electrical, chemical, and aeronautical engineering with 12,000 students taking a common course in the first two years, more specialised study in the third year, and advanced specialisation in the last two years of the course. “It genuinely seemed that this specialisation is highly suited to the development of the Soviet, which is changing from a predominantly peasant-agricultural economy to a great industrial power,” he said. “But many Russians with whom we spoke were greatly interested in New Zealand’s more general scientific approach, which they called ‘broad 1 profile.’ ” Professor MacElwee said engineers would appreciate the class of work being done in Russia by his report that the Leningrad Institute had probably the bestequipped high-tension laboratory in the world with impulse generator equipment up to 6,500,000 volts. It also had direct connexion with the Russian grid for high-power test work. Russia was already operating 400 k.v. transmission lines which were as large as anything in the world. They were very well designed. “There are many things Russia has not yet attempted and these they leave completely alone. But the work they have undertaken has been done with very great technical skill,” Professor MacElwee said.

even if the coal output was increased. But costs would still probably be double that of hydroelectric stations in easilydeveloped areas and for that reason I see no immediate benefit to New Zealand.” “Not in Same Class”

Professor MacElwee said Russia had had a small nuclear power station feeding into the grid system for “some considerable time,” but this and an American model were not in the same class as Calder Hall. British manufacturers were now prepared to build nuclear power stations in any part of the world. This, Professor MacElwee said, was indicative of the progressive enthusiasm in British engineering today. Education in England was really alive to the need and active in producing electrical engineers to meet the demands of a scientific world. In the 10 years since he left England to live here, the output of engineering graduates had been doubled and it was planned that it should be doubled again by 1970. Universities would be staffed and equipped accordingly. The Hives Committee recommendation for the development of 12 technical colleges into advanced colleges of technology had been accepted, he said. Four or five had already been chosen. They would grant a diploma equivalent to a second-class honours degree at a university. Candidates would be drawn from industry and, in a five-year-course, would spend six months in the works and six months at the college each year. “It is believed that this scheme will produce large numbers of highly-qualified engineers for industry,” said Professor MacElwee. Engineering Advancing

The engineering industry was advancing rapidly. It had never been keener, said Professor MacElwee, who saw the first direct application of water for cooling the stator windings of an electric turbine—“a wonderful advance.” Britain, he said, was willing to go ahead with developments other countries would not risk. Professor MacElwee visited Russia as a member of a University of New Zealand delegation, led by the Chancellor (Sir David Smith) and invited by the University of Moscow, which has 20,000 students, 7 000 of them residential. “But Moscow also has 63 other institutes of higher education (university standard) with up to 10,000 students each,” he said. “Each is specialised and even engineering is broken down into